Northeast Philly bridge, oldest in United States, reopens after months of repairs

The Frankford Avenue Bridge in Philadelphia is the oldest bridge still in use in the United States. Its stone arches carry U.S. 13 over Pennypack Creek. The Frankford Avenue Bridge was built in 1697 and reconstructed in 1893. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Recently, PennDOT completed extensive repairs to the bridge.

Northeast Philadelphia's Frankford Avenue Bridge, the oldest still in use in the United States, reopened to the public last week following several months of repairs, PennDOT officials said.

The stone arch bridge carries U.S. 13 over Pennypack Creek. The required repairs included several intensive projects, including rebuilding the north spandrel wall, excavating and replacing the arch backfill with lightweight concrete and repairing deteriorated concrete along the arch barrel.

“Reconstructing the oldest bridge in the country is no small task,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said in a statement. “This rehabilitation was truly a unique undertaking for the designers, engineers and contractors, as they were collectively tasked with extending the structure’s service life while at the same time preserving the structural integrity and historic value of the bridge.”

The Frankford Avenue Bridge was originally built in 1697 and reconstructed in 1893. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

With the completion of the rehabilitation, the 20-ton weight restriction on the bridge has been lifted.

The Frankford Avenue bridge is the first of seven poor-rated bridges in Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery counties that PennDOT is repairing under a $7,220,000 bridge improvement project. The other six bridges are listed below: